Stud clips are of course well known in the art, and an exemplary stud clip is disclosed within FIG. 4 of the drawings of the present patent application which corresponds to FIG. 4 of Japanese Utility Model Patent Publication SHO 61-52710. More particularly, as disclosed within the noted drawings and the patent publication, the automobile body is shown at B, and a threaded bolt or stud S is affixed to the body B by means of its flange f by any suitable means, such as, for example, welding. A pipe P, which may be, for example, a fuel pipe that supplies fuel to the automobile engine, is adapted to be fixedly mounted upon the automobile body B through means of a stud clip, generally indicated by the reference character 1, which is to be fixedly secured to the automobile body B by engaging the threaded stud bolt S.
The stud clip 1 is seen to comprise a housing 11, two sets of oppositely disposed latch members or detents 21 disposed within an interior cavity 13h of the housing 11 and arranged in tiered arrays, and a pair of pipe holding fixtures 41 disposed upon opposite sides of the housing 11. The housing 11 further comprises a lower wall 12 which is provided with a through-aperture 12h so as to permit the housing 11 to be mounted over the upstanding threaded bolt or stud S whereby the stud bolt S projects into the interior cavity 13h of the housing 11 such that the latch members or detents 21 can engage the threaded portion e of the bolt or stud S, and the lower wall 12 also comprises a recessed portion 12d for accommodating the flange f of the stud bolt S. The housing 11 additionally comprises a peripheral side wall 13, and an upper wall 14 is disposed upon the upper end of side wall 13 and is provided with a through-aperture 14h which is coaxially aligned with the through-aperture 12h defined within the lower wall 12 and permits the upper free end of the stud bolt S to be disposed therein or to pass therethrough. The pipe holding fixtures 41 consist of pipe holding arms 42 which support pipes P therein, and pipe retaining arms 43 which engage the pipes P once the pipes P are disposed within the cavities defined within pipe holding arms 42 so as to fixedly retain the pipes P within the pipe holding arms 42. The housing 11, latch members 21, and pipe holding fixtures 41 comprise a one-piece molding which may be fabricated from a suitable synthetic resin material.
When it is desired to fixedly mount or secure one or more of the fuel pipes P to the automobile body B, the pipes P are respectively inserted between the holding arms 42 and the retaining arms 43 whereupon relative outward expansion of the holding arms 42 and the retaining arms 43 with respect to each other, the pipes P are inserted within the cavities or sockets defined by the holding arms 42 and are fixedly retained therein by the retaining arms 43. Subsequently, with the pipes P assembled within the stud clip 1, the stud clip 1 is ready to be mounted upon the stud bolt S which has been previously affixed, such as, for example, by welding the same, to the particular surface of the automobile body B by means of its flange f such that the stud bolt S projects upwardly from the surface of automobile body B. Accordingly, the stud clip 1 is mounted upon the stud bolt S by disposing the lower wall 12 toward the automobile body B and inserting the stud bolt S through the aperture 12h of the stud clip 1 such that the free upwardly extending distal end of the stud bolt S is inserted into the interior cavity 13h of the stud clip 1 and engages the latch members 21 so as to expand the sets of oppositely disposed latch members 21 radially outwardly with respect to each other. The inherent elasticity of the latch members 21 causes the same to engage the threaded portion e of the stud bolt S whereby the stud clip 1, and the pipe members P mounted thereon, are fixedly mounted and retained upon the stud bolt S.
While the conventional or PRIOR ART stud clip 1, disclosed within FIG. 4 of the present application drawings. as well as within FIG. 4 of the aforenoted Japanese Utility Model Patent Publication, and as has been described hereinabove, obviously functions sufficiently well in order to remain retained upon the threaded stud bolt S so as to in turn maintain, for example, the fuel pipes P secured or affixed to the automobile body B, both the insertion force required for attaching, mounting, or inserting the stud clip 1 onto the upstanding stud bolt S, as well as the removal, retention, withdrawal, or pull-off force required for releasing the stud clip 1 from the threaded bolt or stud S, are dependent upon or are direct functions of the thickness, and therefore the rigidity, of the latch members or detents 21. Consequently, if the latch members or detents 21 are fabricated so as to be relatively thin, the insertion force is desirably reduced or relatively low or small, however, the removal, withdrawal, or pull-off force is also undesirably reduced or relatively low or small. Alternatively, if the latch members or detents 21 are fabricated so as to be relatively thick, while the removal or pull-off force may be desirably increased or relatively high or large, the insertion force is also undesirably increased or relatively high or large. It has thus been difficult to fabricate a stud clip wherein the insertion force is desirably reduced or relatively low or small while the removal or pull-off force is desirably increased or relatively high or large, and a need therefore exists in the art for a stud clip which can function as intended and which also exhibits the desired insertion force and removal force parameters or characteristics.